


[D]esigned to End

by Thalassa_Promise



Series: [E]verything That Lives [2]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/M, Post-Ending E (NieR: Automata)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21994324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thalassa_Promise/pseuds/Thalassa_Promise
Summary: Pod 153 to Reader: This file contains memories for the newly-recovered YoRHa Unit Number 9 Type S. Attempting connection to YoRHa Unit Number 2 Type B. Connection... pending...
Relationships: 2B/9S (NieR: Automata)
Series: [E]verything That Lives [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575121
Comments: 6
Kudos: 26





	1. W[a]king

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Babenclaw](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Babenclaw/gifts).



_“This tower is a giant cannon that’s aimed at the human server on the moon…”_

_“So what? None of it matters.”_

_“We were DESIGNED to be killed.”_

These voices were the last I remembered. Echoes reverberating in my mind in a never-ending cycle, poisoning my ears and deteriorating my mind.

_“Sacrificial lambs, all of us.”_

“ _Isn’t it HILARIOUS? Doesn’t it make you LAUGH?”_

My own hysterical laughter rang in my ears. Only the sharp, cold metal slicing through my core silenced it. From that point on, it was mostly silence and a haze I didn’t quite understand.

_“Will you come with us?”_

_“I’ll stay.”_

_“**… So that’s where you’ve been…”_

I remember light. Pure light, shining down on me as the world crumbled beneath my lifeless body. I was enveloped by that light. And that was the end.

And still, even at the end, the words still rotted in my head. The weight of it all crushed me. Reports had always said death felt like a release when it was finally all over. But all I felt was weight.

The weight grew heavier the more I became aware of it. It was as though I had been resting a long time; I couldn’t exactly explain when thoughts started to form, but they did. The world began to fill in around me.

White. All I could see was white.

But it was a familiar white, one I knew well. My own blinding consciousness data. Strange… As I was, it should have been dark. Empty and dark, as all my personality data and memory leaked away with the oil that left my body.

For the first time in a while, a solid thought passed my mind.

_Where… am I…? What… happened?_

The words didn’t ring out quite like the others did, That was the only way I could be sure they weren’t part of another memory.

And then, as though part of another memory, another voice reached me.

“Analysis: Unit 9S confronted Unit A2 in battle. As a result, both units 9S and A2 perished from their wounds.”

_Oh. That’s right._

The voices from before all began to fall into place. I felt the light flicker of emotions stir in my chest, but I couldn’t think or say anything further. What struck me more, however, was the voice. Was my Pod speaking to me?

“However, Pods 153 and 042 were able to restore functionality. Proposal: Complete boot sequence.”

_That’s… statistically impossible._

There’s no way a full restore was possible. If I remembered correctly, my black box had been completely impaled. Destroyed beyond repair. It was a fitting end for a tool, for a YoRHa unit like me.

_I should be dead._

“Pod 153 and 042 have accomplished what humans used to call ‘a miracle.’”

_A miracle, huh? Let’s see if this boot sequence is successful. Then we can call it a miracle._

I wasn’t sure if I was truly speaking to Pod 153, or if everything I thinking and feeling was real. I wasn’t sure if it mattered. But I had nothing better to do in a space like this. If Pod was willing to try, then so was I.

Navigating through the blinding white of my own consciousness, I began looking for the usual nodes I activated for set up. If the restoration was successful, all of my components would be where I expected them to be. Luckily for me, I had navigated this space enough times to know it better than nearly any other datascape. Save for one.

“System restore in progress.”

Something about Pod’s voice seemed more vibrant as it echoed through my mind. I still couldn’t see it, though it would have been more alarming to see it hovering around in a place like this. Then again, it was such a stark environment, I couldn’t see much of anything.

As thought it was second nature, I weaved my way around my memory region. What Pod 153 had said appeared to be true; much more was intact than I expected. That explained the memories that had been rattling around in my head before. It also explained why Pod’s description of my last living moments didn’t come as a shock.

Mechanically, I restored the remainder of the region, bit by bit. Snapping together nodes, re-establishing connections, eliminating bugs. It was meticulous, but it wasn’t complicated. Not for a Scanner like me.

“Request accepted. Restoring memory region. Reboot at 34%.”

I didn’t remember making that request, but my short-term memories were my lowest priority at the moment. I continued to work away, piecing together memory after memory. I couldn’t feel anything physical, but the sensation of a smile resonated within me as things came back together.

_“Better make sure he’s actually dead next time. That was dangerous, ma’am.”_

_“My name is 9S. I’m here to provide support.”_

_“And another thing. Stop calling me ma’am.”_

_“All right then. 2B it is!”_

I froze in my work. 2B…

I shook my head and continued forward. If the full system restore was successful for me, then maybe…

Snapping together the last of my memory region, I proceeded to other functionality nodes and inputs. First came auditory. Something about hearing again seemed more important that seeing what I was doing. It wasn’t as though I needed the additional visual input.

“Restoring sensory outputs. Reboot at 47%.”

Pod’s voice sounded more real now. It was less like a fleeting memory and more like a presence. As I continued to restore my auditory sensors, certain other sounds reached my consciousness. Rustling. Wind. Birds. The world.

I moved onto visuals. My consciousness data dimmed, bit by bit. I adjusted my settings so that it wouldn’t be blinding when I finally came to, with too much darkness, or too much light. While my datascape came into view, I couldn’t yet see the world outside my own head. I would need to complete the reboot sequence to do that, but I wasn’t far off.

I restored the other senses more quickly now that I could see. Even if visuals weren’t needed, I’d be lying if I said they didn’t help. Taste, smell, touch. Stale air and dust invaded my senses, and again I felt pressure. Weight. It pressed my body onto a cold, hard, and unforgiving ground. But I could _feel_. This was real.

I could feel myself shaking slightly with anticipation as I moved onto my cognitive functions. What I was anticipating, I wasn’t sure. But to be alive, when I shouldn’t be…

“Restoring cognitive functions. Report at 84% completion.”

I took the sensations I was feeling and reconnected them with my cognition. Things began to gain context, to make sense. I was unconscious, but rapidly coming too. As things began to fill in, I felt other things start to slip away. It quickly became apparent to me my time in this state would be wiped upon completion of the reboot.

I didn’t care. I needed to be in the world again. There was something I still needed to do. At least, I thought there was something I _could_ do.

The last step in my restoration were basic combat capabilities. These were often the first to be damaged and needing repair, so it took only a matter of seconds to restore them.

“Reboot at 100%. Disconnecting from Unit 9S.”

Ah, that made sense. This process was only so straightforward thanks to Pod 153. I should’ve expected as much.

_Okay, guess we can call it a miracle, Pod._

For the first time, I could hear its soft humming outside my head. There was a sudden spark, and the short-term memory data I had formed for the reboot sequence began to self-delete. Those memories didn’t belong with me when I woke up in the real world. I knew which memories were necessary for that, and I had protected them with everything I had.

_Though I doubt I’ll remember this part,_ I felt inclined to let Pod know, since apparently it could hear my thoughts. _See you on the other side._

The spark set off again, turning my vision to white as I slipped out of my consciousness data.


	2. O[b]stacles

I remember light. Pure light, shining down on me as the world crumbled beneath my lifeless body. I was enveloped by that light. And that was the end.

And still, even at the end, the weight of it all crushed me. Reports had always said death felt like a release when it was finally all over. But all I felt was weight.

The weight grew heavier the more I became aware of it. It was as though I had been resting a long time; I couldn’t exactly explain when thoughts started to form, but they did. The world began to fill in around me.

Darkness. All I could see was darkness.

My mouth opened and air eagerly rushed in. My throat shook, not yet used to air passing through again. As a reflex, my fingers twitched, flexing and testing their connections. They moved with relative ease, and my legs followed suit. I was incredibly sore, but my body could move.

I tried to force words from my mouth, the only words that mattered to me. Nothing audible came out. Focusing my energy, I pushed down on the cold concrete beneath me. I felt as though I was using all of my strength, but I hardly budged. My head tilted and my filter system forced a cough from me, recalibrating my air intake. My body rattled, the movement and effort still foreign to me.

“9S!”

A voice forced its way into my head. All the stiffness and aching I felt seemed to melt away at the sound of it, all the tension I held evaporating at the sound of that voice. Her voice. The voice that meant everything to me.

A weak moan escaped my lips, and again I attempted to push out the only words that mattered.

“2…B…”

There had been other sounds, but only her voice resonated. That was the only thing I could remember hearing. I knew it was a hopeless dream I was clinging to, but the sound was still soothing.

“9S… I’m… I’m glad you’re okay…”

Her voice… it was so near, so full, so _real_. A tingling sensation ran through my arms to the tips of my fingers, down my spine, through my core and all the way to my toes. At once, my eyes flickered open behind my visor. Past all of the HUD, I saw her face, shining like the light that had swallowed me.

“2B…”

As I looked at her face, the sun’s glare obscuring her features, everything in the world felt safe, felt right. And then…

_The world around me was dark. No natural light seeped into this room. I could tell by the stale air this was a trap. But I didn’t care. Why should I care? The only thing I cared about was destroying the machines. Every. Last. One._

_There was a thud, smooth and agile. Not the clanking ambling I’d come to recognize as belonging to machines. But then, around me, she was there. All around me._

_“2B models?”_

_No less than a dozen 2B units surrounded me. They wore vacant expressions on their faces as they regarded me with cool indifference._

_And I laughed._

_“I’m glad I got to see you here. I truly am.”_

_My hands came to my head as a reflex, and my fingers hooked themselves around my visor. Slowly, shakily, I pulled it off, the chatter of YoRHa’s pointless notifications and status reports disappearing from my sight. All I could see was her._

_“I’ll tear you apart… Every last one of you!”_

A surge of energy ran through me, and I shoved myself away from the 2B model staring at me.

“2B!?”

But she had spoken to me. I’d heard her. Was she truly…?

“Good morning, 9S.”

Pod 153 floated into my field of view, bobbing around my head as though all was usual and right in the world. But my eyes never left the 2B model sitting across from me. Slowly, the tiniest bit of a twitch pulled at the corner of her mouth. An attempt at emotion.

“9S…” came her voice, exactly as I remembered it. What had been a reassuring presence in my mind now felt steely and unfamiliar. Watching her mouth move, seeing her lips form those words… “Thank you.”

It sickened me.

I glanced up at my Pod. Everything about this was off. The 2B model’s behavior, Pod’s casual greeting. Something was wrong, and I didn’t trust any of it.

“Analysis: After the collapse of the tower, myself and Pod 042 agreed to attempt repair on Units 2B and 9S,” Pod 153 continued. “Unit 2B initiated a forced reboot on Unit 9S, as he could not boot on his own.”

“You…?” I couldn’t finish the words coming out of my mouth. Repairs after what happened at the tower… that was statistically impossible. “But…” I looked at the 2B model, my body trembling without my control. None of this made sense. Everything was destroyed. I was destroyed.

My hand leapt to my chest, searching for the hole created by 2B’s own Virtuous Contract. The sword had slid straight through me and destroyed my black box. I remembered it. I remembered everything.

“The eradication… of YoRHa!” I shouted, my throat still closing up from what felt like months of no use. I looked up at my Pod, searching for some semblance of sense. “Repairs… shouldn’t be possible…! There’s no back-up…!”

The pounding in my ears nearly deafened me as I felt my breath creating a hollow in the back of my throat. This had to be made up. There wasn’t a way for this to happen. The Bunker was destroyed, along with everyone on it. It was meant to happen that way. It was all planned. We couldn’t stop it…

“Pod 042 and myself decided that the end result was unacceptable. We have made the necessary repairs.” Pod 153 continued on as though nothing was awry. I sputtered once more, but this time no words came out. This wasn’t right. Something wasn’t right.

“Warning: Black box temperature rising,” Pod 153 warned. “Proposal: Unit 9S should cease strenuous activity so soon after completion of repairs.”

The warnings were so normal, so expected, I half-believed them for a second. Was this real? Or was I...? I closed my eyes.

_I was in a gray space I knew well, my own consciousness data. How I had ended up there, I didn’t quite understand. I was sure I had hacked into the machine core running the Resource Recovery Unit. But I continued forward. As I approached the first node, I realized there was data floating all around its perimeter. Memories… my memories. And in the middle was…_

_“That’s 2B’s data…” I tried to approach her, as she stood before me, clear as day. “I know these are just memories… but still…”_

_Subconsciously, I reached out a hand, wanting nothing more than to feel her soft, warm skin under my palm one more time._

_There was a flicker, and black noise began to swallow the memories surrounding us._

_“No, don’t…!” The memories began to fizzle out, one by one. I realized what had brought me here. It was the machines, messing with my data. Stealing it from me. “Don’t do this!”_

_The noise moved from the memories around the perimeter to the center of the node, to my memory data of 2B. Rage welled up within me and erupted out._

_“Damn it, STOOOOOOP!”_

_Every ounce of anger I had poured out of me as my sword tore into the noise. I would destroy it all. Every machine that ever dared to lay a hand upon me, or worse, 2B… I would destroy them all. The world was a blur as I was blinded by hatred._

_“You’re going down.”_

_The coolness of my voice reverberated around the digital space as the noise that had captured 2B fell to the ground. I screamed and leapt forward, digging my blade into its chest, over and over and over._

_And over and over and over and over and over._

_“They’re mine! My memories! You hear me!?”_

_With each scream, the noise disappeared bit by bit, until it was 2B herself that I was stabbing. Over and over and over and over and over and over._

_It wasn’t until my shouts dissolved to sobs that I realized it was the core I had been stabbing all along._

I laughed. It was quiet, and unstable. I hadn’t made this noise in a while. Still, it was all I could do. Was I losing my mind again?

“Pod, do a scan on my cognitive functions and report any system failures or abnormalities,” I commanded. There wasn’t much I could do about it if there was, but at least I’d know.

“Scanning cognitive functions. No abnormalities or failures detected.”

“9S…?”

I heard 2B’s voice again and bit back a snarl. That voice didn’t belong there. I tried to focus on Pod’s report.

“No…?” I whispered. No abnormalities. No failures.

Nothing made sense. Every fiber of my being wanted to believe this was real. But I knew better that to trust that. I knew better than to trust anything anymore. I wanted to believe Pod was telling me the truth about recovering my data, and 2B’s, but it was impossible. Without the Bunker, it was impossible. And even with the Bunker, 2B’s black box had been destroyed by A2. I saw it happen. There was no way to come back from that. There was no way 2B could live. A2 killed her. A2…

_“Pod 153! I order you halt all logical thought and speech. This order shall remain in effect until you confirm the death of either myself, or Unit A2!”_

That was the last time I’d heard Pod’s voice, just before I made that command. And if I was here, then…

“Another question, Pod,” I said abruptly, frowning. My eyes now fell on the 2B model, and didn’t waver. “You’re still following my orders, correct?”

“Affirmative. This tactical support pod is assigned to Unit 9S.”

The urge to laugh bubbled up within me again. A theory formed in my head. It was the only thing that made the slightest bit of sense. There was only one condition under which my Pod would act so irrationally at a time like this.

“Okay. Last question, then,” I continued, body trembling as I forced down the laughter that threatened to break my focus. “What is the current status of Unit A2?”

There was a long lapse of silence. So, Pod 153 was aware of my train of thought. Or rather, I had finally caught on to what it was trying to tell me.

“Unit A2 was also repaired,” my Pod replied, and I held back the disgusted grimace that came at those words. Of course. Pod 042 had been reassigned to her. “Current status is unknown.”

“Can you or can you not confirm that Unit A2 is dead?”

My words were sharp and pointed. There was very little time between my question and Pod 153’s response, but the inquiry hung in air for what felt like an eon.

“Current status of Unit A2 is unknown.”

Every tense joint in my body fell as I lowered by gaze. The release allowed several chuckles to escape as I hung my head, hands shaking. Pod may have been forbidden to use logical thought and speech, but it could report facts indisputably.

“I knew it.”

Pod 153 was only doing its job and following orders. I had no reason to be confused or upset any longer. I knew what this was. Since the moment I woke up, I had known, but now everything fit together. Like it should be.

The machines weren’t going to stop at an ark. They weren’t going to stop until every android on Earth was dead. And they were going to start here. They were going to start with me.

I looked up swiftly, my entire body shaking from this realization.

“So after all of this, you’re still going to come after me…” My eyes fell on the 2B model once again. “Torture me…?” My mind was dotted with a dozen 2B models for a moment, and I laughed once more. “Kill me?”

I pushed on the ground again, shifting away from the 2B model across from me. It stared at me, expression unreadable. Of course it was unreadable. It didn’t know how to feel. It was a machine, using 2B’s body and voice to trick me, to lure my mind down a path filled with memories and thorns.

“I don’t know what I expected,” I spat.

“No…” the 2B model dipped its head. “9S… I never wanted to… I didn’t have a choice…”

“Shut up!”

The absolute rage that ran through me was enough to push me back and to a knee. The fact that it chose those words, specifically to get to me…

“I’m not…” I muttered, then gritted my teeth. “I’m not listening to anything else you have to say! It’s a lie… all of it!”

“9S…” The 2B model moved closer to me, reaching out. “Please… just listen to me. I never wanted to… to hurt you…”

I could’ve screamed. Hurt me? No, only render my mind useless. Destroy my most precious memories, tear me limb from limb, rot my mind with viruses… take everything from me…

“Stop…!” I shouted, flinching back from the hand outstretched toward me. My hand formed a fist and there was a flash as Cruel Oath appeared behind me. “I’m not playing mind games any more! We both have unfinished business to take care of, and this time… I WILL destroy all of you!”

Every last machine… I would destroy them all. I didn’t care any more. Nothing else mattered. It was just like it had been before, when I first lost everything. Nothing had changed. Nothing would change. I would destroy them all.

“9S!” Her voice shouted at me again, and I fought the urge to attempt to rip its tongue from its mouth. How could they put her words in that thing’s mouth? How could they put my name in her voice coming out of that mockery of everything that mattered to me? How could they think they could do this and get away with it? I would destroy them all.

“Please, just let me explain! You can kill me after, I deserve it, but let me…!”

Her voice kept talking, but they were just random pleas. The machines picked her words at random, to try to get me to believe. But I wouldn’t. I would never believe them. I would never listen to those false words.

“And let you put words in her mouth!?” I snapped, standing. I stumbled, but summoned my sword in front of me. “Shut up… just shut up!!!”

I wouldn’t let them use her. I wouldn’t let them have her. They would pay. All of them. And I would destroy them. I wouldn’t rest until they were all destroyed. And I would start here.

The 2B model’s mouth moved and I assumed words came out, but I didn’t hear them. I was only vaguely aware of Pod 153 as it spoke, reporting on my status. I didn’t care about my status. I only cared about one thing. I wouldn’t let them use 2B like this.

“Stop messing with me!” I screamed.

I lunged forward, my sword cutting through the air with little resistance. Its arc perfectly aimed at the 2B’s model’s chest… I would slice through the machine’s core and destroy it.

There was a flash, and a force field sent my attack spiraling back. I grunted from the unexpected impact, barely able to keep myself upright from the sudden shock. I shook my head, regaining my bearings, and swung my arm in front of me, calling the sword back into its offensive position.

However, as I did so, I looked up to see the 2B model retreated to the other side of the building. I hadn’t taken but a step after it when suddenly Pod 153 was in my face.

“Proposal: Unit 9S should discontinue his act of attacking allied units.”

Its choice of words wasn’t what I wanted to hear, or the way I wanted to hear it, but I understood. Following the 2B model was a waste of time, for now. It was just one of surely several attempts to get me to crumble. If I was going to fight against the remaining machines on this planet, I was going to need to recover first.

I was still for a long while, my gaze falling to the ground. I considered having Pod 153 track the 2B model’s movement so I could hunt it down and destroy it later, but to what end? As furious as I was, destroying one of what would probably be many decoys wouldn’t put a stop to the machines. I was going to have to attack them directly to achieve that. With the ark gone, however, I wasn’t sure what that next course of action should be.

Taking on the machines alone proved to be nearly useless last time. For as simplistic as their standard battle units were, their command seemed to be incredibly sophisticated. It wasn’t something I couldn’t handle with the right tools, but I would have to proceed with caution. I couldn’t subject myself to any viruses this time, or give in to any amount of information they pushed in my face. And I would have to find a way to fight their legions of forces on my own.

“Pod…” I said, my breath leaving me with a shudder. “Mark the tower ruins on my map.”

“This course of action is inadvisable. The tower has collapsed. Unit 9S should attempt to reconcile with his allies.”

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at Pod’s insistence to maintain illogical thought and speech, but its actions had saved my life more than once already following those orders.

“Mark. The tower. On my map.”

I dismissed my sword.

“Affirmative. Marking location on map.”

In the corner of my visor, a marker appeared several kilometers southwest of my current location. Finally looking up from the ground, I started forward to my first destination.

**Author's Note:**

> Roleplay turned fic by Babenclaw and me. I write 9S, she writes 2B (and 9S in her series but she's a better writer so like...)
> 
> Hope the readers have as much fun as we are.


End file.
